Lavender and Lupin
by EarthMagic
Summary: AU- When Harry stumbles into Remus Lupin's house on Halloween, what will change?


_Lavender and Lupin-_

 _DISCLAIMER_

I don't own Harry Potter!

 _1988, October 31_ _st_ _, New Hampshire._

"I'm busy." I said, as the unusually cheerful woman that tried to start a conversation with me every morning poked her head out from her office cubicle next to mine.

Her face crumpled slightly, but she was not discouraged. "Of course. It's not like you say that to me every morning, so I wouldn't be expecting it, and maybe I'd be surprised." The woman said exasperatingly.

I glared at her, silently telling her to go the hell away, and she held up her hands in defeat, and finally left me in peace in my neat and organised office.

I put my wand back in the cupboard in the corner of my room. I always seemed to be a bit more annoyed than usual when she was around.

She seemed to have some sort of schedule, I thought to myself.

This lady, who, frankly, I didn't really know. She always had to come around at about 10 o'clock, but why do I care? I thought again. She's annoying, I said back to myself. Well, I reckon there's something you could look for in a muggle like her, Remus/me said back. I realised I had just had an argument with myself about a lady I didn't even know, and I went back to work on a 'brilliant' project called, 'The Narwhals of Tibet'.

As I walked home from work, the cheerful lady from before (who had apparently become more determined to talk to Me.) came rushing around the corner, hair in a fuzz. She handed me a piece of paper, and said, puffing with her hands on her knees,

"The-puff- Boss told-puff- me to get this- puff- to you so you could do- puff- another one of your brilliant projects on it." I wanted to scream in my head, but on the outside I imagined myself calm and relaxed.

"Yes, uh- who are you?" I said, trying to get some sort of thing to call her. "My name? Well, I guess you could call me Paris."

I nodded, and motioned for her to leave. Paris turned around just before she turned around the corner. "Oh, and my phone number is on there if you have any trouble." I thought a saw a little flush on her cheeks before she rushed off to do one thing or another.

I got home, and put my head in my hands. It was the 7th anniversary of James and Lily's death, and what was I doing? I was at home, doing another project about some useless thing!

You left the wizarding world so you could get some peace, I reasoned with myself. You did it so you could save up some money, and maybe go and see Harry, wherever he was. I sighed again, and had definite thoughts that maybe soon I should go take a visit to Dumbledore about Harry's wellbeing.

I got Paris' phone number out, and decided that maybe instead of pushing everyone away, I should let someone in. I shook my head, and put the phone number down.

I was still feeling peaky from the last full moon, I said to myself. Still making the same old excuses, I supposed.

I lit some candles, and put them out on the windowsill of my small cottage to remember Lily and James sacrifice. The smells of lavender perfume and sandalwood followed me, and sent me to sleep in my favourite sweater on the couch.

Until I was woken up by a pair of bright green eyes.

 _Little whinging, 1988, October 31_ _st_ _._

Aunt Petunia never seems to put anything up for Halloween, I thought sullenly to myself as I sat quietly in my cupboard waiting for some scraps that may have been saved from Marge's dogs.

I grabbed my two little squashed soldiers from the little toy-box that had been saved from Dudley's major tantrum last week.

I kept waiting patiently for my scraps, but none came, so I went to bed hungry again. I sighed to myself, and when I figured that nobody was awake, I snuck soundlessly out of my cupboard, and into the kitchen to see if I could find anything at all to eat.

After a couple of minutes of searching, turning up nothing, I went to turn back to my cupboard when I smelt… something. I resolved to go and have a look at where it was coming from, since it was faintly familiar.

I walked barefoot outside, freezing in the winter air, and smelt even more of the scent. I kept on walking, until I found where this familiar scent was coming from. A small little cottage near a bunch of trees I had once called a forest, when I was smaller. I walked to the cottage, and knocked on the door, hoping someone was there.

When nobody answered, I opened the door a crack, and walked cautiously inside. "Be careful Harry!" I whispered to myself. I came to a small wooden living room, with a candle lit on the windowsill, and a man lying asleep on the couch. I walked slowly up to the man who was as faintly familiar as the scents on the windowsill. I sat in front of him, and the floorboard squealed slightly underneath me. The older man's eyes opened, and he flew up from his seat, a wooden stick pointed at me.

 _Remus POV_

There he was. A small child looking around the age of 8, dressed in shabby, ill-fitting clothing. Staring innocently at me. He looked almost the picture of James.

I lowered my wand quickly, knowing I'd scare the poor thin gif I didn't, and wanted to sweep the child into my arms. But I settled for a simple handshake, that the boy took enthusiastically. He almost reminded me of Paris.

I almost slapped myself at the thought. Are you kidding? I thought to myself. You're in the presence of Lily and James spawn, and the only thing you can think about is a lady that you once seemed to think was annoying.

I sighed, and set myself onto the couch, patting the seat beside me, signalling for Harry to join me. "So what are you doing here, Har-child?"  
The child held his head down, and said timidly, "I smelt something familiar, and I followed it to you." I almost cried at that. He was right. I had put out that scent for a reason. Lily had always seemed to smell like lavender, no matter where she went.

I was almost afraid to say the next sentence. "And… Why did you feel the need to wake me up?" Harry gulped audibly. "Well, sir, you-you looked familiar as well. Like the lavenders." I wrapped my arms around him, and held him tightly.

And you know what? For once, I didn't want to let go.


End file.
